Face-to-face with the titans of Norwegian Black Metal
Black Metal succeeded where Nobel Peace prizes, fjords, oil exports, and even chess player Magnus Carlsen failed: putting Norway firmly on the map.
Few people know much about this cold, sparsely-populated country, a stone’s throw from the North Pole, but the bloodcurdlingly intense Black Metal scene has produced some of Norway’s best-known cultural exports.
Jonas Nordli from Imaginator
Erik Unsgaard from Sarkom
“I’ve met people in tiny villages from Bangladesh to Venezuela who almost self-ignite with excitement the moment I mention Norway,” explains Norwegian Magnum photographer Jonas Bendiksen, who was struck by the recognition and impact of Black Metal as he travelled the globe on assignments.
In tribute to his homeland’s most well-known cultural export, Jonas set out to document the scene, getting up close and personal with metal titans like Gorgoroth, Burzum and Darkthrone, as well as up and coming new challengers for the Black Metal crown.
Kaahrl Ødemark from The 3rd Attempt
Jimmy “Ofu Khan” Ivan Bergsten from Red Harvest and Waklevören
“In the early 1990s, Norwegian Black Metal made its shocking entry on to the world stage with church burnings, homicides, stagecraft, with an intensity few had seen before,” Jonas explains. “The growling vocals and intense riffs of metal music made in Norway somehow hit a primal dissonant note all over the planet. I wanted to photograph the music with the same directness and intensity. I took a flash and photographed Norwegian singers singing, head on.”
His photo series Singing Norwegian Singers, commissioned by Leica, does exactly what it says on the tin – putting viewers face to face with the icons of Norway’s Black Metal scene, so close that you can see the demonic redness of the camera flash in their eyes and almost feel the flecks of saliva hitting your face.
Øyvind Rasmussen from Skrømt
Sigurd Dybing from Grand Alchemist
Jonas Bendiksen’s Singing Norwegian Singers goes on display at Leica Gallery Mayfair from 17 – 27 October 2016.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
Analogue Appreciation: Bricknasty
forever — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s Irish boundary rejectors Bricknasty.
Meet Italy’s new generation of gabber and hardcore warriors
Bergamo Hardcore — Photographers GabriTVB and Tchane’s new photo series follows Gen Z revivalists of the subculture and musical style, which broke through the country in the mid-’90s.
Tank tops and akimbo wielding as Lara Croft came to town
Tomb Raider 30 — As the legendary video game celebrated her 30th birthday, around 80 superfans took part in a cosplay competition at her birthplace of Derby. Hatti Rex and Emily Rose England met some of the participants and found out what gaming’s greatest woman character means to them.
Lava La Rue is defying industry slop
Do You Know Everything? — The musician is one of London’s most exciting DIY creatives. For our 20th anniversary issue, they explain their process of making music, zines and art completely in their own way.
Halloween in Brooklyn, photographed over 50 years
Spirits and soul — Larry Racioppo’s new book documents half a century of the October festivities in New York, while tracing the city’s ever-changing character.
Cruising on the West Side Piers, New York’s wild side
West Side Highway — In the late 20th century, the area was an if-you-know-you-know hotspot for the city’s gay scene. William Howell’s new photobook immortalises it.
